The pace of policymaking on artificial intelligence (AI) in the United States will tick up sharply in the coming weeks, as more of the deadlines in President Joe Biden’s executive order on AI come due.
Flashback: Biden issued the executive order on AI on Oct. 30 last year, setting in motion a range of actions across the government. (Check out BSA’s statement at the time here.)
The executive order has become the most significant engine for AI policymaking in the United States since then, alongside US state legislative action, as Congress considers whether and how to move AI legislation.
By the numbers: Reflecting the importance of AI policy, the EO set forth a number of deadlines for federal government action on AI, much of which is beginning to take shape:
- At least nine federal agency actions are already underway
- And in the next 90 days:
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- 20 new work streams will get underway
- At least a dozen different federal entities (OMB, OPM, Commerce, State, Homeland Security, NSF, DOJ, HHS, Transportation, GSA, Defense, Energy, USPTO, Treasury)
- Covering issues such as: preventing bias or discrimination from AI, prioritizing AI and critical technology acquisition by government, establishing best practices for AI-related cybersecurity risks, and investing in AI research
- On the horizon between April and October are more than 50 additional expected actions – ranging from continued work on rulemakings, to initiating new research, to work to establish best practices
- The one-year anniversary of the EO is Oct. 30, 2024
Perspective: Said BSA Senior Vice President for Global Policy Aaron Cooper: “The Biden administration’s executive order on AI is one of the most significant vehicles for advancing AI policy in the United States in 2024. The considerable energy devoted toward AI policy reflects policymakers’ recognition that securing the benefits of AI also requires safeguards that instill trust that the technology is being developed and deployed responsibly.”
